Game



D. R. BAKER Nov. 1, 193 8.

GAME

Filed May 19, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l Dannie Ro'lnri- Baker mvEnToRATTORHEY- D. R. BAKER Nov. 1, 1938.

GAME

Filed May 19, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 P13 8 'n-iz Robert 'Boihar DeanlHvEnT'oR ATTORH EY Patented Nov. 1, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4Claims.

This invention relates to games and more particularly to games operatedby plungers or the like.

One of the objects of this invention is the provision of a game similarto bowling.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a substantiallyminiature bowling game.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a miniaturebowling game constructed in a container, and provided with miniatureballs that may be expelled from a plunger in the direction of pins, thelatter being adapted to fall upon substantial contact with a ball, andmechanical means provided whereby the pins may be re-set to a normalposition, and the balls so expelled returned to a container where theyare held for play.

Other objects and features will more fully appear from the followingdescription and accomp'anying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the machine, showing alleys for balls;

Fig. 2 a side elevation, certain parts having been broken away;

Fig. 3 a top plan view along line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 an end view taken along line 44 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 a sectional view along line 55 of Fig.

Fig. 6 a detailed view of the plun r stru tion taken along line 66 ofFig. and Figs. 7 and 8 showing detailed views of the pin respectivelyurged upwardly and onto the seat.

Referring to the drawings, the device consists of a top I, provided withsides 2, ends 3, and a bottom 4, all of which form a rectangular box orcontainer that is supported by legs 5.

The top I is provided with a plurality of holes 6 through which projectand operate, respectively, pins 1; more fully explained hereinafter.

An aperture 8- is located directly in front of the hole 6, the latterbeing at the apex of an imaginary triangle formed by said holes, and isadapted to receive a ball 9 (see Fig. 2) that has been ejected from aplunger I0 movable in a casing II that is superimposed upon the top ofsaid device.

Referring to Fig. 2 a member I2 is pivotally connected to an axle I3secured to said sides; said member being located directly below aperture8 through which the ball 9 or other balls may pass. A tongue M on saidmember l2 extends downwardly therefrom and bears against a bar l5connected in pivotal fashion to an axle I6 secured to one of the sides2. The lower end of bar I5 is pivotally connected to one end of a rod I1and the other end is movable in a bearing H. The rod I? has extending atright angles therefrom and respectively to the rear of the pins trippersl8. A spring I9 is secured to end 3 and one of the trippers I 8 saidspring (when no ball engages member l2) maintaining member l2substantially parallel to said top.

In operative relation with, and below member 12, is a track 20, providedat one end with a flanged receptacle 2! for receiving the ball as itpasses through aperture 8 to the member l2 from whence it passes to thetrack 20. Track 20 is pivoted to an axle 22 secured to sides 2. From oneend of said track projects a support 23 to which is pivoted a hanger 24connecting a base 25 to which is secured a plurality of stops 26 inspaced relation to each other, and adapted to support, at times,respectively, the pins 1; that project through the apertures 6 in top I;said apertures being slightly larger than the pins.

The base 25 is provided with holes through which guides 27, secured tothe bottom, pass so as to maintain the base parallel to the bottom 4' ofthe device.

Extensions 28 are respectively secured to the stops 26 and are providedwith inclined tops 29.

Respectively depending from and secured to the top I are a plurality ofseats 30, in spaced relation to each other, and which are adapted toseat the pins 1. Each pin 1 is respectively housed and guarded by cages3|, secured on said seats and projecting upwardly and therefrom.

A plurality of replacers 32 are respectively connected to the ends ofeach seat in pivotal fashion.

The end of the track 20' is provided with a gate 33 (see Fig. 4) havingits ends movable through apertures in said track so that when the endsengage an object the gate is moved upwardly and thereby permits aretarded ball to proceed through said gate.

The top I is inclined toward the plunger and has, on each side thereof,inclined alleys 34 that connect an inclined channel 35, and balls notentering aperture 8 pass down the inclinedtop and alleys.

The channel 35 (Fig. l) engages a compartment 36 that is adapted tohouse the balls returning from the top or alleys, and a pivotal gate 31(Figs. 1 and 3) acts as a stop to said balls in the compartment. Atrigger 38 projects from the gate and its end is located beneath a coinslot 39 so that when a coin or the like is dropped through it, said coinwill engage the trigger and cause the gate toirevolve until its angularside flushes with iii.

' fashionthereto a'door 55 registering with said opening when resting on"the bottom and per-- the channel floor or bottom and the balls pass.

over it and into a chute 40. The coin after disengaging the trigger,passes into a receptacle 4|, secured to one of the sides 2; and thetrigger is caused to return'to itsrnormal position due to a spring 42secured to a seat onsaid gate and also the top; said spring adapted torebound when released from a depressed position.

As the ball or balls pass into chute they drop into' a; container 4|(Fig. 4) disposed between guides 42' that engage slotted members 43secured to said containers. r

The normal position of the container, when not moving, is in an elevatedposition; due to weights 45 connectedto'strings 46 that respectivelyride v pulleys 41; the other .ends of said strings respectivelyconnecting with the container.

When the balls are dumped intothecontainer, their weight being greaterthanthat of weights 45, the container isthus caused to descend to the.bottom 4; a portion; of which is inclined. The 'base of, thecontainer-is inclined, in similar fashion to the bottom and has anoutlet 48 :(Fig.

5) over which is a movable door 49 connected I in pivotal fashion to thecontainer; said door being provided with a pin 50 that extends throughthe base so that when it contacts the bottom it' will force the doorupwardly into open position 'When the balls ,passrfrom container 4| itrethereby permitting the balls to pass from the container.

tu-rnsto its normal position since the weights cause it to rise untilone engages the bottom; whence it comes to rest.

The inclined" portion of the bottom 4 leads" to an opening .52 inapartition 54 and the balls are adapted to pass down the incline fromsaid con tainerlthrough the opening andinto an elevator 55; saidelevator having connected in pivotal mitting the balls to enter from theinclined bottom. A peg 54 is set in partition 54 to prevent movement ofsaid door 'in one directionthereby preventing balls escapingiafterentering said elevator. The elevator is provided with an inclined baseto permit theballs to emerge from said elevator as hereinafterexplained;

:Ashaft 56' formed by'said partition and one of said sides; endsand apartition 56 (Fig. 3) is adapted to house the elevator. To the top ofsaid elevator is. connected'a cable 51 that rides a wheel 58 connectedto anaxle 59 journaled in .provided with a hammer 12 and the other a 7said sides.

bearings 60 on a house 6| having a door. therein 'to permit theescape'of balls when the elevator door registers with the door of said house.The other end of said cable engages a handle 63 that rides'slides 64securedto one of When' the balls ta s from the'doo-r 621th'ey enter aninclined track 65 (Fig. 6) in single file,

The ball handle 13 i U j V The plungers casing is pivoted to the casingll;by-a pin 18andjmaybe n oved about in circumferential fashion and anoperative 'is thus assisted in aiming the ball to be shot from theplunger.

A spring 19 is disposed between the hammer 12 and end of the plungercasing and when said plunger is withdrawn to shoot a balljit may bereleased and the spring will then force'the hammer forward causing it tostrike a ball and force the latter out of the plunger casing. V V Whenthe plunger ispulled outwardly from said casing the block 61 moves in asimilar direction until the latter registers with aperture 69,

and when it so does, said ball passes through said stall into theplunger casing in front of the hammer and is ready to be expelledtherefrom. V

The device functions as follows: The pins are 7 resting on seats 30 withtheir large ends pro I jecting above the top I, the hammer ejects aball, and for illustration it hits a pin A. The' force of the ballcauses the base of the pin to fall'from the seat upon its stop 261(Fig.7) the ball having returned to compartment 36 by way,

of alley 34 and channel 35,"where it is'held against movement in onedirection by gate 31.

Another ball is then shot from the plunger,

; assume, in this fashion it ispossible to knock down'one or more pins.,Let it now beassumed that two pins have been knocked down and a ball isshot that knocks down a pin .B;-said ball, thereafter, passing throughaperture 8.

.As the ball passes through aperture 8 it next engages member I2,causing it to tilt (Fig. 2) so that its tongue l4 presses against bar I5that moves rod l1 thereby bringing the trippersi I8 againstjtheseated'pins and thus forcing them from their seats 38 thereby causingthem to drop on stops 26.

When the pins forces the rod, trippers and member I2 back totheir'normalpositions. The foregoing'action is quickly accomplished since the ballengages are on stops 26, the spring l9 member l2 for a short time, only,from whence it passes along track 20 causing thelatter to.

move downwardly about axle 22, and as it does. the support 23 that.ispivotally connected" to hanger 24. elevates the [base 25 upon whichthe stops are secured, and the pins being on the stops, rise with thesupports and as this takes place the'sloped-extensio'ns 28 engage thereplacers 32 and the latter rides the former and the pins are graduallymoved upwardly and in- ,wardly by'said replacers and finally arenormally 5 positioned upon the seats, and such reseating causes pins to'rise above'the top. 7

It is obvious from the foregoing that when a ball is shot from theplunger and enters aper ture 8 all the pins are forced from their seatsby reason of the hereinbefore mechanical operation; while-if a ballmerely strikes a pin'or,

pins, knocking them downgand does not enter aperture 8 the pin orpinsstruck will only be forced from their seat orseats. V r The ball,-as it proceeds. down the track 20,

forces, the latter downwardly until the former is stopped by gate 33,and when the gate extensions engage a lip (Fig. 2) the gate is forcedupwardly .and permits the ball to'pass. v

. When the ball passes-the gate it falls to the inclined bottom (thisis'a free ball) where it rollsinto the elevator and may be retrieved by.raising theelevator. 7

Of course, all balls that do not go through aperture 8 necessarily passto compartment 36 and may be played by placing a coin in the slot thusreleasing said balls so. they may return to 75- track 65 by way of chute40, container 4| and elevator 55.

The apertures in the top are made larger so that the angular position ofthe pins may be accommodated.

Having described this claimed is:

1. In a bowling alley having an alley board and a plurality of pinsextending through enlarged apertures in the alley board, supportsbeneath the alley board and positioned for supporting the pins invertical position and projecting above the board, a vertically movablerestoring carriage beneath the pin supports, pin rests carried by thecarriage and disposed to one side and below the pin supports and ontowhich the lower ends of the pins are forced upon tilting of the pins byengagement of a ball above the board, the pin rests of the verticallymovable carriage forming means whereby the pins resting thereon may beraised to a level invention, what is equal to the pin supports andrestoring means cooperating with the lower ends of the pins forlaterally moving the same onto the pin rests.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the restoring meanscomprises a laterally movable ball actuated frame and arms carried bythe frame in the path of the lower ends of the pins.

3. A device as set forth in claim 1 including U-shaped guide memberscarried by the pin rests and positioned whereby when the lower ends ofthe pins are forced therein they will move by gravity downwardly andengage the pin supports of the vertically movable carriage.

4. A device as set forth in claim 1 including a reciprocating actuatedball leverage means cooperating with the carriage for raising the sameand mechanism controlled by the ball for moving those pins notpreviously moved by ball engagement whereby they will rest on thesupports of the vertically movable carriage.

DENNJIE! ROBERT BAKER.

